Effluent and nitrogen fertiliser effects on dry matter yield, nutritive characteristics, and mineral and nitrate content of turnips
J. L. Jacobs A B and G. N. Ward AA Department of Primary Industries, 78 Henna Street, Warrnambool, Vic. 3280, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: joe.jacobs@dpi.vic.gov.au
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 59(7) 624-631 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR07336
Submitted: 10 September 2007 Accepted: 17 March 2008 Published: 3 July 2008
Abstract
The 2-pond system to treat and contain dairy effluent is commonplace on dry-land dairy farms in southern Australia. The first pond is a deep anaerobic treatment pond and the second a shallow aerobic pond where the liquid effluent is stored. This liquid effluent contains a range of nutrients that have the potential to influence forage dry matter (DM) yields, herbage nutritive characteristics, and mineral content of forages.
The effect of applying second-pond dairy effluent to a summer turnip (Brassica rapa L.) crop over two consecutive summer periods was measured. In addition to the application of effluent, N fertiliser was also applied. Effluent was applied at three rates, 0, 30, and 60 mm ~7–8 weeks after turnips were sown each year, with fertiliser N applied at either 0, 25, 50, or 75 kg N/ha in combination with effluent rates immediately before effluent application. Turnips were assessed for DM accumulation, nutritive characteristics, and mineral and nitrate-N content.
Effluent contained high concentrations of both potassium (K) (440–500 kg/ML) and sodium (Na) (637–766 kg/ML), with moderate levels of calcium (Ca) (177–180 kg/ML) and magnesium (158–213 kg/ML). Total N was higher in Year 2 (208 kg/ML) than in Year 1 (160 kg/ML), with the proportion of total N present as ammonia-N also higher in Year 2 (81%) than in Year 1 (57%).
Dry matter yield responses for leaf and root were 20 and 11 kg DM/ha per effluent mm applied in Year 1 and 19 and 13 kg DM/ha.mm applied in Year 2, respectively. Total DM yield increases were 32 and 39 kg DM/ha.mm applied for Years 1 and 2, respectively. There was no effect of N application or interaction between effluent and N application in either year. For Year 1, nutritive characteristics were relatively unaffected by either effluent or N fertiliser application, while in Year 2, leaf crude protein content increased (P < 0.05) in a linear manner at 0.058% per mm effluent applied. The K and Na content of turnip leaves increased (P < 0.05) with effluent application in both Years 1 and 2, while the Ca decreased (P < 0.05) with effluent application in Year 2.
Results from this study further emphasise the potential value of second-pond dairy effluent to increasing forage DM yield and improving the nutritive value of turnips. The data, however, question the value of using N fertiliser on its own or in combination with effluent to improve the same attributes. Dry matter yield responses to effluent were similar across both years despite contrasting climatic conditions, highlighting the ability of turnips to respond to limited moisture inputs.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the Victorian Government, Dairy Australia, WestVic Dairy, Gipps Dairy, and Murray Dairy for providing financial assistance for this study. We also thank DemoDAIRY for the use of land on their farm to undertake the experiment. The technical support of Stewart Burch, Troy Jenkin, Rachael Ward, and Robyn Bush and biometrical analyses by Gavin Kearney are also acknowledged.
Barry TN,
Manley TR, Duncan SJ
(1984) Quantative digestion by sheep of carbohydrates, nitrogen and S-Methyl-L-cysteine sulphoxide in diets of fresh kale (Brassica oleracea). Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 102, 479–486.
Bolan NS,
Horne DJ, Currie LD
(2004) Growth and chemical composition of legume-based pasture irrigated with dairy farm effluent. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 47, 85–93.
Clark DA,
Howse SW,
Johnson RJ,
Pearson A,
Penno JW, Thomson NA
(1996) Turnips for summer milk production. Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association 57, 145–150.
Clarke T,
Flinn PC, McGowan AA
(1982) Low cost pepsin-cellulase assays for prediction of digestibility of herbage. Grass and Forage Science 37, 147–150.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Geurink JH,
Malestein A,
Kemp A,
Korzeniowski A, van’t Klooster AT
(1982) Nitrate poisoning in cattle. 7. Prevention. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 30, 105–113.
Guillard K,
Pietrzyk SW,
Cassida KA,
Wiedenhoeft MH,
Hough RL,
Barton BA, Allinson DW
(1995) Seasonal nitrogen and carbohydrate partitioning in forage brassicas. Agronomy Journal 87, 562–569.
Hattey JA,
Sabbe WE,
Batten GD, Blakeney AB
(1994) Nitrogen and starch analysis of cotton leaves using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 25, 1855–1863.
Jacobs JL,
McKenzie FR, Ward GN
(1999) Changes in the botanical composition and nutritive characteristics of pasture, and nutrient selection by dairy cows grazing rainfed pastures in western Victoria. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 39, 419–428.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jacobs JL, Ward GN
(2007) Effect of second-pond dairy effluent on turnip dry matter yield, nutritive characteristics and mineral content. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 58, 884–892.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jacobs JL,
Ward GN, Kearney G
(2004) Effects of irrigation strategies and nitrogen fertiliser on turnip dry matter yield, water use efficiency, nutritive characteristics and mineral content in western Victoria. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 44, 13–26.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jacobs JL,
Ward GN, Kearney G
(2008) The effect of dairy effluent on dry matter yields, nutritive characteristics, and mineral content of summer-active regrowth forage crops in southern Australia. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 59, 578–588.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jacobs JL,
Ward GN,
McDowell AM, Kearney G
(2001) A survey on the effect of establishment techniques, crop management, moisture availability and soil type on turnip dry matter yields and nutritive characteristics in western Victoria. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 41, 743–751.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jacobs JL,
Ward GN,
McDowell AM, Kearney G
(2002) Effect of seedbed cultivation techniques, variety, soil type and sowing time, on brassica dry matter yields, water use efficiency and crop nutritive characteristics in western Victoria. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 42, 541–548.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kemp A, Hart ML
(1957) Grass tetany in grazing milking cows. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Research 5, 4–17.
Lautenenschlager W
(1989) Atomic spectroscopy advances. Microwave digestion in a closed-vessel, high pressure system. Spectroscopy 4, 16–21.
Longhurst RD,
Roberts AHC, O’Connor MB
(2000) Farm dairy effluent: a review of published data on chemical and physical characteristics in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 43, 7–14.
McDonald RC,
Manley TR,
Barry TN,
Forss DA, Sinclair AG
(1981) Nutritional evaluation of kale (Brassica oleracea) diets: III. Changes in plant composition induced by soil fertility practices, with special reference to SMCO and glucosinolate concentrations. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 97, 13–23.
Moate PJ,
Dalley DE,
Roche JR,
Grainger C,
Hannah
, Martin K
(1998) Milk production responses to turnips fed to dairy cows in mid lactation. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 38, 117–123.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Nakashima S,
Sturgeon E,
Willie SN, Berman SS
(1988) Acid digestion of marine samples for trace element analysis using microwave heating. Analyst 113, 159–163.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Shenk JS, Westerhaus MO
(1991) Population definition, sample selection and calibration procedures for near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Crop Science 31, 469–474.
van Soest PJ, Wine RH
(1967) Use of detergents in the analysis of fibrous feeds. IV. Determination of plant cell wall constituents. Journal of Official Analytical Chemists 50, 50–55.
Yemm EW, Willis AJ
(1954) The estimation of carbohydrates in plant extracts by anthrone. Biochemistry 57, 508–514.
